Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation

Dr. Oana Cristina Popa is a fellow in GMF’s Bucharest office. Dr. Popa is a career diplomat in the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with over 23 years of experience. Most recently, she held the position of EU Ambassador to Montenegro (2020-2024). Earlier, she served as the ambassador of Romania to Serbia (2016-2020) and to Croatia (2005-2009). She has also served as adviser to the minister of foreign affairs on Euro-Atlantic affairs, head of the North America division, and deputy chief of mission in the embassy of Romania to Croatia.

Prior to joining the diplomatic service in 2002, Dr. Popa was executive director of the US Fulbright Commission in Romania. She holds a PhD in history and international relations and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and education, both from the Babeş-Bolyai University of Cluj, as well as a master’s degree in international peace studies from the University of Notre Dame. In 2007, she received a certificate in executive education fromHarvard University.

Dr. Popa is the recipient of two NATO fellowships on security and regional cooperation in Southeast Europe and was a POSDRU postdoctoral fellow of the Romanian Academy for EU enlargement and accession.

She has extensive academic and research experience in international and regional security, trans-Atlantic relations, and EU enlargement, and is the author of many publications. She is the recipient of several Romanian and international medals and awards for her work in global and EU affairs.

Dr. Popa has been active for over two decades in civic campaigns related to the fight against domestic violence.

Valerii Kravets is a Bucharest-based program coordinator for GMF Black Sea Trust. He focuses on Ukraine-related programming and supports initiatives aimed at strengthening electoral integrity across the Eastern Partnership countries. He also works to strengthen local governance, advance European integration processes, and foster international cooperation. He has contributed to projects funded by USAID, the EU (ProElect, Enhancing the Resilience of Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership - ERICS), and the Porticus Foundation.

Prior to joining GMF, Kravets gained over a decade of senior-level experience in the private sector, most recently as deputy director for development at ATB Corporation, one of Ukraine’s largest companies. In this role, he was responsible for national development strategy; public-private partnership projects; cooperation with ministries, state-owned enterprises, and local governments; supporting M&A transactions; and driving digital transformation initiatives.

Kravets holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and enterprise management from Oles Honchar Dnipro National University, a bachelor’s degree in law from Dnipro Humanitarian University, and a master’s degree in administrative management from Dnipro Polytechnic. He also studied at the University of Economics and Management in Prague.

He is a native speaker of Ukrainian and Russian and is fluent in English and Romanian.

Miruna Gheorghe is a Bucharest-based program coordinator for GMF’s Black Sea Trust (BST). She supports EU-funded initiatives, including the Enhancing the Resilience of Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership- ERICS project, which strengthens the resilience of civil society in the Eastern Partnership countries. She oversees EU visibility and communications for the BST office and coordinates convenings.

Gheorghe previously worked with NaTakallam (which hires refugees and conflict-affected people as online tutors, teachers, and translators), the UN Youth Delegation of Romania, and other international organizations, focusing on human rights, youth engagement, and cross-cultural cooperation. She holds a master’s degree in security and defense, with a focus on human rights. She speaks English, French, and German, in addition to her native Romanian.